Te amo más que a mi vida
by Lacey's writings
Summary: After the fateful tea room, Rodrigo has found a new way to win Hailey back. But it may not end in his favor.
1. Te amo

It had been a couple of weeks since the tea room. Hailey and Rodrigo barely saw each other, with the fact that Rodrigo couldn't get the nerve to go over to Hailey's house. Every time he got closer to the door he chickened out and rode off with his bike. Shawn and Sebastian had noticed his antics and would personally wait outside for him, hoping that would draw him closer to seeing Hailey. But that just made him come less. He didn't want the confrontation.

However the only person to not notice this was Hailey herself. She was too caught up in her own world of being a Mastra. She had took Rodrigo's job and now lead the symphony. There were times when she felt horrible for taking his job. Knowing that now he was out of work and did not have a money supply. But she could never find him anyway to talk about it. If they saw each it was for a split second and Rodrigo would run away. Hailey couldn't stop him and soon stopped even trying. If he didn't want to see her then she didn't want to see him.

But they both knew that was not true. More than anything did Hailey and Rodrigo want to be wrapped in each others arms, lay in bed together, and most of all, just hug each other. But that would not happen. Or maybe it would.

As it was happening now.

And maybe more than them seeing each other would change.

Hailey wore the least suggestive dress she could find. She did not want to put herself on Rodrigo. Making him frizzled was the last thing she wanted to do. This was not a date. Just two friends going out for coffee. That was all this was. Sure, maybe Hailey wanted more. But that was not in her control. Rodrigo was the one who called her, on someone else's phone. He sounded nervous and terrified on the other end of the line. She would have asked him what was wrong if he let her. But instead, he keep on asking her the same question over and over again.

"Will you meet me for coffee at 8:30 am on Sunday? At the small place called 'Bueno'?"

Over and over again. When Hailey finally said yes the call had ending and she didn't get the chance to ask why he sounded the way he did. Maybe that didn't matter, maybe he was just stressed and nothing was actually wrong. But Hailey knew Rodrigo better than that. Something was wrong. And she wanted to know what that thing was.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Although Rodrigo would not admit it to himself, what he was doing would ruin his life. But it was worth it to keep Hailey happy. And to him, that was all that mattered.

He was waiting at the coffee shop for Hailey. He needed to be before she got there. That was how the plan was to work. He would just have to look her in the eye and squeeze her hands. It was plain and simple. Yet it felt so hard and hateful. Would Hailey hate him for what he was doing? Would she regret everything they had?

His thoughts were interrupted when the lady in question walked through the door.


	2. Black

Rodrigo didn't actually expect Hailey would show up. He thought she only said yes to shut him up and have him finally leave her alone. Afterall he was a frequent visitor to her house. But now here she was, standing in front of him with her hand out to shake.

" _Don't be an idiota and just shake her hand. You are just shaking it, no squeezing and eye looking involved."_ He thought to himself. He barely managed to shake her hand before it became awkward. He hoped no one was watching them. He probably looked so nervous and Hailey didn't look like she belonged near him.

He motioned to the seats and sat down across from Hailey.

"So Mastro, what's the special occasion that you have asked me to coffee?"

He gulped at hearing the M word. No one had called him that in a while. If anything it was something of the past.

"You are the Mastro now Hal-Lai, I-I mean Mastra." Jesus, he must've looked like an idiot, not even being able to speak in music. The language he was fluent in.

"Are you ok? I mean really ok? You're not acting like yourself."

 _Shit, she noticed_. Was he REALLY that scared? What he was doing was life threatening. At least that's what the man at the shop said. Was he really ready to die? He didn't want to answer that honestly.

"Hai-Lai, I have to be blunt with you for this to work."

He swallowed all the possible tears from coming out.

"Me enamoré de ti Hai-Lai y no quiero perderte-"

"What are you saying, Rodrigo? You know I'm not fluent in spanish."

 _That's the point, Hai-Lai, so you will not know I'm saying._

"Me odiarás por lo que estoy a punto de hacer."

He reached across the table and grabbed her hands, not yet squeezing them. Her facial expressions sent chills to his heart. He was breaking her ever so slowly. Shattering the love they could have had in this reality.

"Por favor, encuentra en tu corazón para perdonarme."

Finally he squeezed. She squeezed back. Harder.

"Te amo, Hai-Lai."

The world then went black for Rodrigo De Souza.


	3. Anything

_**A few days earlier**_

Rodrigo wasn't sure what possessed him to enter this store. It wasn't like any place he had been in before. It didn't even intrigue him whatsoever. However he felt like this place held his destiny and who was he in interrupt destiny?

But when he entered the store, he immediately felt regret flush over him. What WAS he doing here?

"Hello sir, can I help you with something?" A man said with an eerie smile.

Lost in his own thoughts Rodrigo hadn't noticed the man come up to him. He noticed in the store period. Wouldn't've he seen the man before he entered? Was he starting to lose his mind? He was only in his late thirties, he couldn't be losing-

"Don't worry Rodrigo, you aren't losing your mind. You have plenty time for that adventure."

"Oh mi maldito dios, h-how did you know?"

The man's smile now seem more scary with the fact that the male knew Rodrigo's name. He knew that he had not introduced himself yet. So how could he know his name? And more importantly what he was thinking?

"All your questions will be answered later. But first, you came here with a purpose. You recently had your heart broken if I am correct?"

 _Hai-Lai_

His heart wasn't just broken. It was shattered and stomped upon as if it was a bug. He wasn't sure how much of his heart was actually left. He was hiding in the shell of himself for so long, it felt normal. But this man could clearly see right through Rodrigo. He had nothing to hide.

"Si, I would tell you who the person is but I'm assuming you already know that."

The man nodded in a way that scared Rodrigo more than him knowing his name. He knew Hai-Lai. That made him angry. Hai-Lai's privacy had been invaded. She deserved better than that. She didn't need or deserve to have all her secrets known by this, this man. Was he even human? Was he the 'supernatural' being Shawn would tell him about?

"Mrs. Hailey Rutledge put a hole in your heart didn't she?"

All Rodrigo could do in his state was nod. The man smiled again and grabbed Rodrigo's hand.

"And you don't want her to pay? You want her, just her. You don't want her to feel the way she made you feel. You still love her."

Another nod.

"You would go back and change everything. You would lie to her and say nothing was wrong with her conducting. You would lie and make her believe nothing was wrong. Because you hated hurting her."

Nod.

"Rodrigo De Souza, that is all possible. If and only if, you do something for me."

Rodrigo looked up at the man with the most hurt eyes. He wanted to be with Hai-Lai. He didn't care how selfish that sounded. He was in love with her. He could not lose the love of his life.

"I'll do anything."


	4. Pain

The first thing Rodrigo felt was pain. Not unbearable pain, but still, pain. He knew the man had told him this was going to hurt but he didn't think the pain would be emotional. He was hoping it would be physical. Something that could just be cured by ibuprofen. But he was hit with a rude awakening when the pain in his heart returned. He just hoped the Hai-Lai in the old timeline wasn't feeling the same. Or didn't, as that timeline no longer existed. He was in the past now. Not in his present, no that would be called the future here.

"Rodrigo? Did you hear me?"

 _That voice. That voice is Hai-Lai. Before I managed to break her._

He probably would have jumped at her and hugged her. That was what he wanted to do. But she would have questioned his actions. She would think something was wrong. Nothing was wrong. Things were actually great for once.

"Y-yes, Hai-Lai. I heard you. I was honest with you. You're conducting is perfect."

Hailey answered him with a confused look.

"No, you said something was wrong, or at least you started to. Before you started to backtrack. Please Rodrigo be honest."

All Rodrigo could do was cup her face with his hands. He stared at her, not wanting to ever forget her beautiful face. Finally her face softened, no longer having the confused look, she kissed him. He would have kissed back in the first second, but this felt wrong. Hai-Lai did deserve to know the truth. That she did have flaws, but they were what made her conducting amazing. But she would take it the wrong way. Just like she did in the other reality. And he wasn't wanting another week or so to travel back in time.

So he kissed back, even if what he said was the definition of bullshit.

Hailey didn't notice the split second before he kissed back. How could she? It was a split second. All she knew was that her boyfriend was confident in her conducting. In those small moments that was all that mattered to Hailey. That Rodrigo thought she was already perfect.


End file.
